The akward middle stage.

Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spirit those who are bereaved;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

I've talked briefly about my experience with hopsice at Goodwin House. Today I'm pondering my experiece with the Ministry to the Sick book offered by ECUSA. Peter and I spent a fair amount of time with our resident today and left wondering what we could have done differently. Most of the scripture stories tell of miraculous healings. A large portion of the prayers are for the restoration of health. The only option is the Ministration at the Time of Death, which, let me tell you, feels mighty inappropriate with a person who is awake, sitting under their own power, and able to communicate verbally. I don't really want to pray for her holy death if she's not ready to comprehend it, but I'm really at a loss. I guess that just leaves the chaplain with a lot of silence. I hate external processors. The only thing I hate more than that is silence. I always have a radio or TV on in the background. I need something to stimulate my mind to keep it from wondering. But today was a little different. We had no choice but to sit in silence, and it was in that silence that I began to understand the power of the moment God had blessed me to be a part of. It is in the silence that God speaks to the patient, to the chaplain, and to the mutual "us" that exists in the room. Today, I fought the silence initially, but was ever so glad for it by the end.